The Depression: Online Therapy Study (D:OTS)-A Pilot Study of an Internet-Based Psychodynamic Treatment for Adolescents with Low Mood in the UK, in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Introduction: Face-to-face therapy is unavailable to many young people with mental health difficulties in the UK. Internet-based treatments are a low-cost, flexible, and accessible option that may be acceptable to young people. This pilot study examined the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of an English-language adaptation of internet-based psychodynamic treatment (iPDT) for depressed adolescents, undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. Methods: A single-group, uncontrolled design was used. A total of 23 adolescents, 16-18 years old and experiencing depression, were recruited to this study. Assessments were made at baseline and end of treatment, with additional weekly assessments of depression and anxiety symptoms. Results: Findings showed that it was feasible to recruit to this study during the pandemic, and to deliver the iPDT model with a good level of treatment acceptability. A statistically significant reduction in depressive symptoms and emotion dysregulation was found, with large effect size, by the end of treatment. Whilst anxiety symptoms decreased, this did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: The findings suggest that this English-language adaptation of iPDT, with some further revisions, is feasible to deliver and acceptable for adolescents with depression. Preliminary data indicate that iPDT appears to be effective in reducing depressive symptoms in adolescents.

Young children’s emotional stress reactions during the COVID-19 outbreak and their associations with parental emotion regulation and parental playfulness

Children’s emotional adjustment during stressogenic events is highly dependent on their parents’ emotional state. The present study explored young children’s emotional adjustment during the COVID19 outbreak as it relates to their exposure to stress, and their parents’ emotion regulation and playfulness. A sample of 351 Israeli parents of children aged 2–7 years completed online questionnaires. The most frequent stress symptoms in children were nervousness, agitation, and aggression, separation fears and clinging. Parental difficulties in emotion regulation, and the level of exposure to stressogenic situations were both significantly associated with children’s stress reactions. Parental emotion regulation fully mediated the relationship between exposure to stress and children’s stress reactions. Parental playfulness was only inversely related to children’s stress reaction in fathers. These findings underscore the importance of parental emotion skills for children's emotional adjustment during stressful times.